The Pierce County Sheriff's Department said the landing gear failed just after 9:30 p.m. Friday as the pilot tried to land the single-engine plane at the airport, which is in western Wisconsin, just across the Mississippi River from Red Wing, Minn.

The department said in a news release that the plane skidded down the runway before coming to a stop in the middle of the runway.

The pilot was identified as 30-year-old Steven Hiltner of Rosemount, Minn., while the passenger was Corey Stever, of St. Paul, Minn. Both men escaped injury.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the Pierce County Sheriff's Department are investigating.

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